December 08, 2009

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Yesterday, POLITICO reported that NPR executives asked corespondent Mara Liasson to reconsider appearing on the Fox News during a meeting in October.

There, NPR executives Dick Meyer and Ron Elving asked her to watch Fox for a month and then respond in a follow-up meeting whether the correspondent felt the network had grown more partisan. Liasson, a source told POLITICO, did not feel it was more partisan and has continued appearing on Fox, as she's done since 1997.

Well, the story got a strong reaction from NPR listeners.

Ombudsman Alicia Shepard writes today that she's already received 142 emails and lots of phone calls, many in support of Liasson still appearing on Fox. That's a departure from the usual calls she gets regarding Liasson and fellow Fox contributor Juan Williams, often coming from listeners who wish they'd no longer appear on the network.

And while Meyer won't talk about "internal discussions," he made one point clear to Shepard with regards to Liasson.

"NPR has not had any communication of any kind with the White House regarding the status of any of our reporters or their work for anyone outside of NPR," said Dick Meyer, executive editor for news, in an email. "Any suggestion to the contrary is simply false. Internal discussions about the application of NPR policy to each NPR reporter are just that, internal discussions. That is why we do not comment on them publicly."

Reader Comments (20)

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The sad fact is that NPR doesn't even need to be told by the White House to hew the Leftist line and freeze out opposing points of view.
The White House merely had to give the hint, and their media lapdogs fell into line.

This Meyer is an IDIOT..says wont comment publicly just after doing so about how Obama did not aKs them to have Liasson cut liasons w. Fox...
and Noone believes U Meyer ..U liberal NPR Dimwits always take marching orders from Liberals in power...

I like Fox and NPR. I appreciate the contrast and discussions from the different folks on some of the shows. On CNN, they have the democrat and republican contributors and they just spew the daily talking points. Mr. Williams and Ms. Liasson are positive figures on Fox.

Even if one believes Fox is partisan, how would it help to blackball the network and ensure that alternative views were unable to be aired because you preclude non-conservatives or less-conservative analysts from appearing?
Not to mention the fact that MSNBC has gone hard to the left...

This post has not been approved by the White House.
NPR exec is lieing if he said there is no pressure from the WH over Liasson. Obama admin has been extremely active trying to censor the news being sent to the American public. It is only another indication of the socialistic tendency of these despots. NPR is in the pocket of the president because it a public financed broadcast agency and when a president holds the strings Myer dances the tune.

I was a long time member of Public Radio and TV. I have given monthly money to them every year. This was the last year. I always watched / listened to them to find out what the left was doing. That they want to silence the right means that they no longer deserve my support.

I think NPR is one of the very few independent news sources that are left in this country. MSNBC has a liberal agenda and FOX a right-wing agenda. Having someone like Mara Liasson on FOX is a great way to reach the brainwashed zombies that only watch FOX news.

Williams has been on FOX for years, so how come the "freakout" now??. They talk about bi-partisanship all the time but,....as soon as one of their own does approach it, they go berserk!!. Says a lot about their underlying feelings, doesn't it??.

I am an NPR fan and I think Mara is fabulous, but let's be real. NPR has just as much bias as Fox. In a way Mara is being more balanced by appearing on both. I think NPR executives are living in a cave to think that they are not as partisan as Fox.